Years 5 & 6: Geometry

This list consists of visual resources, activities and games designed to support the new curriculum programme of study in Years Five and Six. Containing tips on using the resources and suggestions for further use, it covers:

Year 5: Identify 3-D shapes from 2-D representations, know angles are measured in degrees: estimate and compare acute, obtuse and reflex angles, draw and measure angles, identify: angles at a point, angles at a point on a straight line and a turn, multiples of 90 degrees, use the properties of rectangles to deduce related facts, missing lengths and angles, distinguish between regular and irregular polygons, reflection and translation of shapes.

Year 6: Draw 2-D shapes using given dimensions and angles, recognise, describe and build simple 3-D shapes, compare and classify geometric shapes, find unknown angles in triangles, quadrilaterals and regular polygons, illustrate and name parts of circles, including radius, diameter and circumference and know that the diameter is twice the radius, recognise angles where they meet at a point, are on a straight line, or are vertically opposite, and find missing angles.

Links and Resources

The ten work cards in Pack 1 contain activities in which children find unknown angles in triangles, quadrilaterals, and regular polygons, including the sum of the angles in a triangle, angles on a straight line, angles at a point, the sum of the angles in a quadrilateral, a regular hexagon, and calculating the size of a missing angle.

The geometric facts cards are a useful reference guide for teachers and children about lines, angles, polygons and circles. Though some of the material in this pack goes beyond the requirements of primary level.

This resource presents a short drama in which Pirate Kate has lost her map and needs to find her hidden treasure. She reads out a series of directions, each of which involves using her compass to face north, turning a set number of degrees and walking forward a number of metres in the new direction. The instructions are then repeated and displayed on screen and students are challenged to draw the treasure map. To find the buried treasure, students need to use their knowledge of geometry, degrees and angles.

The Coordinates ITP is a great way of demonstrating and exploring the coordinates of points on different grids. Points can be marked and lines and shapes drawn. using one, two or four quadrants. Use it to demonstrate and predict where a shape may be after translation, rotation or reflection in the different quadrants.

This interactive activity allows children to find the missing angles in a triangle, around a point, in a quadrilateral, find opposite and supplementary angles, or find angles which require multi-step problem solving skills.

This activity, which links to the science of light, provides a context to investigate the radius, diameter and circumference of a circle. It is also a great way of practising collecting and recording data as children measure and record the diameter and circumference of various spinners. They should find out that the circumference of any circle is always a little over three times its diameter, the actual amount is 3.14 times bigger, which is known as π ‘pi’.

Look at a net of a 3-D shape and predict what shape it will form when assembled into its 3-D structure. Then watch the shape being assembled. Children could then go on to make an accurate drawing of the net and to build their own 3-D shapes. Children are challenged to think about why some of nets may not be folded into a 3-D shape and then to come up with criteria for knowing if a net will/will not fold up into a 3-D shape. There are 24 nets to choose from, depending on the challenge required.

This video shows a demonstration lesson in which children fold paper to create polygons and investigate their properties. Demonstrating a multisensory approach to teaching, the teacher introduces congruence of triangles and how to calculate the interior angles of polygons. Children investigate which combinations of regular polygons are able to tesselate (fit together leaving no gaps).